Top Songs of 1981


Rank All Time Rank Artist Song Genres
1
92
The Specials Ghost Town 2 Tone
2
178
Soft Cell Tainted Love New Wave, Synthpop
3
224
The Human League Don't You Want Me Synthpop
4
415
Queen & David Bowie Under Pressure Pop Rock
5
436
Laurie Anderson O Superman Art Pop, Experimental, Post-Minimalism, Progressive Electronic
6
493
Joan Jett and The Blackhearts I Love Rock 'n Roll Hard Rock
7
549
Phil Collins In the Air Tonight Ambient Pop, Art Pop, Pop Rock
8
780
Tom Tom Club Genius of Love New Wave, Synth Funk
9
792
Rick James Super Freak Synth Funk
10
919
The Rolling Stones Start Me Up Hard Rock
11
951
Journey Don't Stop Believin' AOR, Pop Rock
12
955
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel Disco Rap, East Coast Hip Hop, Instrumental Hip Hop, Turntablism
13
1131
Black Flag Rise Above Hardcore Punk
14
1143
Go-Go's Our Lips Are Sealed New Wave, Pop Rock
15
1153
Depeche Mode Just Can't Get Enough Synthpop
16
1221
The Psychedelic Furs Pretty in Pink New Wave, Post-Punk
17
1255
Grace Jones Pull Up to the Bumper Dance-Pop, Synth Funk
18
1310
New Order Ceremony Post-Punk
19
1347
Mission of Burma That's When I Reach for My Revolver Post-Punk
20
1422
Daryl Hall & John Oates I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) Pop Rock, Pop Soul
21
1537
Yoko Ono Walking on Thin Ice Dance-Punk, New Wave
22
1543
Kim Carnes Bette Davis Eyes Pop
23
1624
Taana Gardner Heartbeat Boogie
24
1654
Stevie Nicks Edge of Seventeen (Just Like the White Winged Dove) Pop Rock
25
1713
Rush Tom Sawyer Progressive Rock
26
1721
The Stranglers Golden Brown Baroque Pop, New Wave
27
1808
Kraftwerk Computer Liebe/Computer Love Synthpop
28
1852
Heaven 17 (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang New Wave, Synthpop
29
1905
Bob Dylan Every Grain of Sand Christian Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Soft Rock
30
1907
Duran Duran Girls on Film New Romantic, Synthpop
31
2026
Prince Controversy Synth Funk
32
2114
Luther Vandross Never Too Much Pop Soul, Smooth Soul
33
2152
Japan Ghosts Ambient Pop, Art Pop, Progressive Pop
34
2251
Men at Work Down Under Pop Reggae, Pop Rock
35
2483
The Human League Love Action (I Believe in Love) New Romantic, Synthpop
36
2494
Go-Go's We Got the Beat New Wave, Power Pop
37
2747
Squeeze Tempted Pop Rock
38
2792
AC/DC For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) Hard Rock
39
2958
The Gun Club Sex Beat Punk Blues
40
3050
Kraftwerk Nummern/Numbers Electro
41
3061
Scritti Politti The Sweetest Girl Art Pop, New Wave
42
3099
Minor Threat Straight Edge Hardcore Punk
43
3205
ESG Moody Dance-Punk
44
3311
U2 Gloria Post-Punk
45
3396
The Police Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic New Wave, Pop Rock
46
3422
The Rolling Stones Waiting on a Friend Pop Rock
47
3567
Adam and The Ants Stand and Deliver New Romantic
48
3575
Pigbag Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag Dance-Punk
49
3746
The J. Geils Band Centerfold Pop Rock
50
3842
Gang of Four To Hell with Poverty! Dance-Punk
51
3884
Flipper Sex Bomb Noise Rock, Post-Punk
52
4125
Madness It Must Be Love 2 Tone, Pop
53
4145
Toni Basil Mickey Bubblegum
54
4189
Smokey Robinson Being with You Contemporary R&B, Pop Soul, Smooth Soul
55
4308
Romeo Void Never Say Never New Wave
56
4387
Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Stop Draggin' My Heart Around Pop Rock
57
4532
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft Der Mussolini EBM, Neue Deutsche Welle, Synth Punk
58
4555
Black Flag TV Party Hardcore Punk
59
4560
Paolo Conte Via con me Jazz Pop
60
4588
Stray Cats Stray Cat Strut Rockabilly
61
4591
The Birthday Party Release the Bats Gothic Rock, Noise Rock
62
4754
Tom Tom Club Wordy Rappinghood Disco Rap, New Wave
63
4803
Rosanne Cash Seven Year Ache Country Pop, Singer/Songwriter
64
4852
The Cramps Goo Goo Muck Psychobilly
65
4869
Loverboy Working for the Weekend AOR, Pop Rock
66
4930
The Plimsouls A Million Miles Away Power Pop
67
5103
Stray Cats Rock This Town Rockabilly
68
5156
Soft Cell Say Hello, Wave Goodbye New Wave, Synthpop
69
5383
Earth, Wind & Fire Let's Groove Disco, Synth Funk
70
5386
The Reels Quasimodo's Dream Synthpop
71
5388
Kraftwerk Taschenrechner / Pocket Calculator Synthpop
72
5464
Dinosaur L #5 (Go Bang!) Disco
73
5480
Pretenders Message of Love New Wave, Pop Rock
74
5551
ESG UFO Dance-Punk
75
5599
Foreigner Waiting for a Girl Like You AOR, Soft Rock
76
5607
Kim Wilde Kids in America New Wave, Pop Rock
77
5661
Men at Work Who Can It Be Now? New Wave, Pop Rock
78
5713
Altered Images Happy Birthday New Wave, Pop
79
5779
Grace Jones I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango) Art Pop, Dub, Sophisti-Pop
80
5790
The Clash This Is Radio Clash Dance-Punk, Funk, Funk Rock
81
5862
Kraftwerk Computerwelt / Computer World Synthpop
82
5869
Duran Duran Planet Earth New Romantic, Synthpop
83
5953
Fela Coffin for Head of State, Pt. 2 Afrobeat
84
6139
Teena Marie Square Biz Boogie, Funk, Pop Soul
85
6155
The Police Invisible Sun New Wave, Pop Rock
86
6218
Daryl Hall & John Oates Private Eyes Pop Rock
87
6271
The Who You Better You Bet Pop Rock
88
6293
The Cure Charlotte Sometimes Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
89
6298
The Passions [UK] I'm in Love with a German Film Star New Wave
90
6422
Foreigner Urgent AOR, Pop Rock
91
6426
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers The Waiting Heartland Rock, Roots Rock
92
6430
Pete Shelley Homosapien New Wave, Synthpop
93
6451
Grace Jones Nightclubbing Art Pop, Dub
94
6485
Rick James Give It to Me Baby Disco, Synth Funk
95
6491
Spandau Ballet Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On) New Romantic
96
6494
Dead Kennedys Too Drunk to Fuck Hardcore Punk
97
6631
The Cars Shake It Up New Wave
98
6669
Rod Stewart Young Turks New Wave, Pop Rock
99
6811
ABC Tears Are Not Enough New Romantic
100
6840
Was (Not Was) Out Come the Freaks Disco
101
6927
Billy Idol and Gen X Dancing with Myself New Wave, Power Pop
102
7067
Charlélie Couture Comme un avion sans ailes French Pop
103
7224
Depeche Mode New Life Synthpop
104
7232
Haircut 100 Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) New Wave
105
7362
Brian Eno - David Byrne America Is Waiting Art Punk, Art Rock, Experimental Rock
106
7410
Chagrin d'amour Chacun fait (c'qui lui plaît) Disco Rap, French Hip Hop, French Pop, Pop Rap
107
7490
Mötley Crüe Live Wire Glam Metal, Heavy Metal
108
7492
New Order Everything's Gone Green Post-Punk, Synthpop
109
7515
Van Halen Unchained Hard Rock
110
7603
The Police Spirits in the Material World New Wave, Pop Rock
111
7858
The Pointer Sisters Slow Hand Pop Soul
112
8026
George Harrison All Those Years Ago Pop Rock, Singer/Songwriter
113
8036
Kool & The Gang Get Down on It Disco, Funk
114
8098
Olivia Newton-John Physical Pop Rock
115
8210
Slime Deutschland Deutschpunk
116
8230
Siouxsie and The Banshees Spellbound Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
117
8420
Foreigner Juke Box Hero AOR, Hard Rock
118
8431
Christopher Cross Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do) Film Soundtrack, Soft Rock, Yacht Rock
119
8467
UB40 One in Ten Pop Reggae
120
8468
Def Leppard Bringin' On the Heartbreak Hard Rock
121
8539
Iron Maiden Wrathchild NWOBHM
122
8554
Altered Images I Could Be Happy New Wave, Twee Pop
123
8607
Department S Is Vic There? New Wave, Post-Punk
124
8621
ESG You're No Good Dance-Punk
125
8772
D Train You're the One for Me Boogie, Synth Funk
126
8991
The Cure Primary Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
127
9060
Roxy Music Jealous Guy Adult Contemporary, Soft Rock
128
9163
Elvis Costello and The Attractions Psycho Country, Country Rock
129
9208
The Cure All Cats Are Grey Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
130
9278
Sunnyboys Alone With You Jangle Pop, Power Pop
131
9308
Fela Original Sufferhead Afrobeat
132
9375
Minor Threat Minor Threat Hardcore Punk
133
9532
Junior Giscombe Mama Used to Say Boogie, Contemporary R&B
134
9571
Bauhaus Kick in the Eye Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
135
9618
Genesis Abacab Pop Rock, Progressive Pop
136
9830
Leño Maneras de vivir Boogie Rock, Hard Rock, Rock urbano español
137
9958
Pretenders I Go to Sleep Pop Rock

Songs "bubbling under" the all-time top 10,000:
Odyssey Going Back to My Roots Disco
Gil Scott-Heron "B" Movie Funk, Spoken Word
Minor Threat In My Eyes Hardcore Punk
The Gun Club Fire of Love Post-Punk, Punk Blues
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Joan of Arc Art Pop, Synthpop
Rick Springfield Jessie's Girl Power Pop
A Number of Names Sharevari Electro, Electro-Disco
Billy Squier The Stroke Hard Rock
Mecano Hoy no me puedo levantar New Romantic, Synthpop
Motörhead / Girlschool Please Don't Touch Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Rita Marley One Draw Reggae
Afrika Bambaataa & The Jazzy 5 Jazzy Sensation (Bronx Version) Disco Rap, East Coast Hip Hop
Stan Rogers Northwest Passage Canadian Maritime Folk
Ozzy Osbourne Diary of a Madman Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal
The Clark Sisters You Brought the Sunshine Disco, Gospel
Einstürzende Neubauten Kollaps Industrial, Post-Punk
Public Image Ltd. Flowers of Romance Experimental Rock, Post-Punk
Pata Negra Los mánagers Andalusian Rock, Flamenco Nuevo
Simple Minds Theme for Great Cities New Wave, Post-Punk
Riot Swords and Tequila Heavy Metal
Rush Limelight Progressive Rock
Clock DVA 4 Hours Post-Punk
Bob Dylan The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar Pop Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Vasco Rossi Siamo solo noi Pop Rock
Sheena Easton For Your Eyes Only Adult Contemporary, Film Soundtrack
Les Civils La crise Soft Rock, Synthpop
Lionel Richie and Diana Ross Endless Love Adult Contemporary, Film Soundtrack
Ozzy Osbourne Flying High Again Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Kate Bush Sat in Your Lap Art Pop
Vangelis Chariots of Fire Film Score, Progressive Electronic
Journey Who's Crying Now AOR, Soft Rock
Siouxsie and The Banshees Arabian Knights Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
Bush Tetras You Can't Be Funky Dance-Punk, No Wave
Eric Clapton I Can't Stand It Blues Rock
Quincy Jones Ai No Corrida Disco
The Associates Kitchen Person Experimental Rock, Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
Altered Images Dead Pop Stars Post-Punk
The Rolling Stones Worried About You Rock
Boys Town Gang Cruisin' the Streets Disco
Swingers Counting the Beat New Wave, Power Pop
Throbbing Gristle Discipline Industrial
Wipers Youth of America Noise Rock, Post-Hardcore, Post-Punk
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five It's Nasty (Genius of Love) Disco Rap, East Coast Hip Hop
Roberto Torres y su Charanga Vallenata Caballo Viejo Salsa, Son Cubano
Bauhaus The Passion of Lovers Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
Louis Chédid Ainsi Soit-il Chanson
The Names Night Shift Post-Punk
The Fire Engines Candyskin Post-Punk
Camarón de la Isla Como el agua Flamenco Nuevo
The Lounge Lizards Harlem Nocturne Avant-Garde Jazz, No Wave, Post-Bop
Black Uhuru Sponji Reggae Roots Reggae
Black Flag Police Story Hardcore Punk
The Moody Blues The Voice Pop Rock
Discharge Why? D-Beat
Z.Z. Hill Down Home Blues Blues
Bill Wyman (Si Si) Je suis un Rock Star Dance-Pop, New Wave, Synthpop
Red Rider Lunatic Fringe AOR, Hard Rock
Grauzone Eisbär Neue Deutsche Welle, Post-Punk
The Teardrop Explodes Tiny Children Neo-Psychedelia, New Wave
The Mighty Diamonds Pass the Kouchie Roots Reggae
Strikers Body Music Boogie
The Clean Tally Ho! Dunedin Sound, Indie Pop
Imagination Body Talk Contemporary R&B, Pop Soul, Smooth Soul
Blue Öyster Cult Burnin' for You AOR, Hard Rock
Spandau Ballet Glow New Romantic
Alice Per Elisa Italo Pop, New Wave
Divinyls Boys in Town New Wave, Pub Rock
Eurythmics Never Gonna Cry Again New Wave, Synthpop
Triumph Magic Power AOR, Hard Rock
Lindsey Buckingham Trouble Soft Rock
Inner Life Ain't No Mountain High Enough Disco
Bobby Womack If You Think You're Lonely Now Soul
The Birthday Party Nick the Stripper Post-Punk
Soft Cell Memorabilia Synthpop
Carl Carlton She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked) Boogie, Contemporary R&B, Synth Funk
Flipper Brainwash Noise Rock, Post-Punk
Television Personalities This Angry Silence Indie Pop, Post-Punk
Brian Eno - David Byrne The Jezebel Spirit Art Rock, Experimental Rock
Journey Open Arms AOR, Adult Contemporary, Soft Rock
Vivien Goldman Launderette Post-Punk
Elvis Costello Good Year for the Roses Country Pop
Triumph Fight the Good Fight Hard Rock
Change Paradise Disco
Anti-Nowhere League So What Oi!
The Gun Club Preaching the Blues Psychobilly, Punk Blues
Sammy Hagar There's Only One Way to Rock Hard Rock
China Crisis African and White New Wave, Synthpop
Echo and the Bunnymen Over the Wall Post-Punk
Heaven 17 Penthouse and Pavement New Wave, Synthpop
Soft Cell Bedsitter New Wave, Synthpop
Linx Intuition Dance-Pop, Pop Soul
Defunkt The Razor's Edge Jazz-Funk
Comateens Late Night City New Wave, Pop Rock, Synthpop
New Order Procession Post-Punk
Hervé Cristiani Il est libre Max French Pop
The Church The Unguarded Moment Jangle Pop, Power Pop
The Blasters Marie Marie Rockabilly
Icehouse Can't Help Myself New Wave, Pop Rock
Simple Minds Love Song New Wave, Post-Punk
Japan Visions of China Art Pop, New Wave
Dead Kennedys Nazi Punks Fuck Off! Hardcore Punk
Kim Wilde Cambodia Synthpop
Rainbow I Surrender AOR, Hard Rock, Pop Rock
Hamilton Bohannon Let's Start II Dance Again Disco, Funk
J. Walter Negro and the Loose Jointz Shoot the Pump Disco, Disco Rap, Funk
The Human League The Sound of the Crowd New Wave, Synthpop
Depeche Mode Dreaming of Me Synthpop
Echo and the Bunnymen A Promise Post-Punk
Thomas Dolby Europa and the Pirate Twins New Wave, Synthpop
Madness Cardiac Arrest 2 Tone, New Wave, Pop
Rush Red Barchetta Progressive Rock
The Creatures Mad Eyed Screamer Experimental Rock, Post-Punk
Tears for Fears Suffer the Children Synthpop
Thomas Leer Tight As a Drum Minimal Synth, Synthpop
The Teardrop Explodes Passionate Friend Neo-Psychedelia, New Wave, Post-Punk
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers A Woman in Love (It's Not Me) Heartland Rock
Kirsty MacColl There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis Country Pop, Rock & Roll
The Jam Absolute Beginners Mod Revival, Psychedelic Pop
Rush YYZ Progressive Rock
Fun Boy Three The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum Art Pop, New Wave
Eloy Point of No Return Progressive Rock, Space Rock